NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk's waterfront along the Elizabeth River is now home to a marina, Town Point Park and the Waterside District — but 50 years ago, and for hundreds of years before that, the view looked very different.
A 1961 clip from the News 3 archives shows Norfolk's plan to redevelop its more industrial-focused waterfront at the time, with city leaders laying out a vision for what would eventually become Waterside Drive.
"The waterfront drive…runs along the waterfront, or near the waterfront in Downtown Norfolk. It's contemplated to be built within the next two years," Lawrence M. Cox, former executive director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said in that 1961 broadcast.
The city's vision was to move away from its industrial roots.
"Transitioning away from a waterfront that was very active with warehouses and ships and railcars," Troy Valos said.
Valos manages the Sergeant Memorial Collection for Norfolk Public Library, documenting the city's long history.
That transition happened gradually. In 1973, the Omni Hotel — now the Sheraton — broke ground on the waterfront. Then came 1976, and a spark that would change everything.
"When Harborfest started, Norfolk was in the midst of the redevelopment," Valos said.
Valos says Harborfest was a turning point, sparking even more interest in developing the waterfront.
"It showed that there was something here. There was a spark…a little ember of potential," Valos said.
In the early 1980s, vacant land left behind by torn-down warehouses was transformed into Town Point Park — the permanent home for Harborfest and now numerous events year-round. The park opened in the summer of 1983, alongside another major waterfront attraction: the Waterside District.
The development drew inspiration from a similar project in a city with a similar waterfront setup.
"They saw that Baltimore had that same feature (Harborplace) at their waterfront and seeing the success that Baltimore had, they wanted to replicate that here," Valos said.
In the 1990s, the Nauticus Marine Science Center opened on the other side of the park at the site of Norfolk's former Banana Pier. The Half Moone Cruise Terminal followed in 2007.
In 2017, a revitalized Waterside District reopened with a fresh look and new businesses, renewing the focus on drawing people to Norfolk's waterfront.
"If you know you've got a product, let's keep developing it and bringing in people," Valos said.
That product now draws visitors from across Norfolk, the region and — this weekend, with Harborfest, Juneteenth and Sail250 — around the world.
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